European concern for the Crimean Tatars:
The Council of Europe’s commissioner for human rights, Nils Muiznieks, says his "biggest concern" in Ukraine is the plight of Crimean Tatars who have remained in Crimea since it was annexed by Russia in March.
Muiznieks made the remarks to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg on October 1.
He said security for ethnic Tatars in Crimea "has been shattered by a series of raids by armed, masked security personnel in religious institutions, schools, Tatar-owned businesses, private homes," and the community’s assembly, the Mejlis.
Muiznieks said the raids -- ostensibly "to search for weapons or so-called extremist literature" – are "completely disproportionate" for a community that has no history of violence.
He said internally displaced Ukrainians remain "vulnerable," with receptions that differ widely depending on where they have settled.
The UN says 350,000 internally displaced Ukrainians are from the country’s east and 18,000 are from Crimea.
This ends our live-blogging for October 1. Be sure to check back tomorrow for oour continuing coverage.
Good morning. We'll get the live blog rolling today with this update from our news desk:
German Chancellor Angela Merkel says Russia has a duty to exert influence on pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Merkel made the remark during a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 1.
According to a German government spokesman, the two leaders expressed concern that violence was still being used in Ukraine every day.
Merkel said the border between Ukraine and Russia needed to be monitored and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation (OSCE) had a big role to play in that.
She said Germany would continue to support the OSCE mission in Ukraine, adding that it could play an important role in planned local elections in the regions around Donetsk and Luhansk.
Earlier, NATO's new Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the cease-fire in Ukraine presented the chance of a resolution to the Ukraine crisis but Russia still had the power to disrupt the country.
"The ceasefire in Ukraine offers an opportunity but Russia maintains its ability to destabilize Ukraine. Russia remains in breach of international law," Stoltenberg told his first news conference in Brussels as NATO leader.
Stoltenberg also had conciliatory words for Russia, saying he saw no contradiction between aspiring for a constructive relationship with Moscow and being in favor of a strong NATO.
Meanwhile, reports from eastern Ukraine said some 10 people have been killed in shelling in the rebel-held city of Donetsk.
Three people were reportedly killed when a shell exploded in a school playground on October 1.
Several others reportedly died when a shell hit a mini-van in a nearby street.
The blasts occurred as pupils returned to school, after the start of the school year was postponed from September 1 due to fighting between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists.
Shelling has repeatedly been reported in Donetsk despite an September 5 cease-fire in the conflict, which has killed more than 3,000 people since April.
The Donetsk airport has been a focus of fighting since the cease-fire.
(TASS, Reuters)
Capital flight from Russia is increasing. Will Vladimir Putin calm investors' fears when he addresses an Investment Forum in Moscow today?
— Steve Rosenberg (@BBCSteveR) October 2, 2014
Mustafa Dzhemilev says high probability of RUS troops crossing into Ukraine from Crimea http://t.co/RTXGBf2OmR pic.twitter.com/kE2D0dTqAn
— Ryskeldi Satke (@RyskeldiSatke) October 2, 2014